Proxmox Virtual Environment (PVE) – Useful Commands

Proxmox Virtual Environment (PVE) – Useful Commands Summary

1. Cluster and Node Status

• Check Cluster Status:

  pvecm status

  • Shows connected nodes and their IDs.

• Check Node Resources:

  pveperf

  • Displays CPU, disk, seek time, file sync time, DNS, etc.

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2. Virtual Machines (QEMU) Management

• List VMs:

  qm list

• Start a VM:

  qm start <vmid>

• Stop a VM:

  qm stop <vmid>

• Reboot a VM:

  qm reboot <vmid>

• Clone a VM:

  qm clone <source_vmid> <new_vmid>

• View VM Configuration:

  qm config <vmid>

• Restore VM from Backup:

  qmrestore <backup_file_path> <vmid>

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3. Container (LXC) Management

• List Containers:

  pct list

• Enter Container Shell:

  pct enter <ctid>

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4. Backup and Restore

• Backup a VM:

  vzdump <vmid>

  • Creates a backup file under /var/lib/vz/dump/

• View Backup Logs:

  cat <backup_log_file>

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5. Disk and Storage Management

• List Block Devices:

  lsblk

• Check Disk Usage (Human-readable):

  df -h

• Check Memory Usage:

  free -h

• Check Storage Status:

  pvesm status

• Add New Storage:

  pvesm add <type> <args>

  • Refer to storage tutorial for detailed syntax.

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6. Network and Logs

• Check IP Address:

  ip a

• View System Logs:

  journalctl -xe

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7. System Updates

• Update Package List:

  apt update

• Upgrade Packages:

  apt upgrade

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Tips

• The Web UI uses the same backend commands.

• Learning CLI gives you more control and access to advanced features.

• Practice basic commands before moving to advanced operations.